DISTRIBUTION AND FORMATION CONDITIONS OF NOBLE METAL MINERALIZATION IN COAL-BEARING BASINS

Abstract

Original data and a survey of the literature indicate that Au and Au-PGE mineralization are abundant in coal measures. Anomalous contents of noble metals have been established in basins with various types of basement, composed of granite, volcanic rocks, schist, and limestone. These basins are located in Au-and PGE-bearing ore districts, as well as at a considerable distance from known ore deposits and occurrences. Ore formation in coal-bearing basins may occur during sedimentation, peat accumulation, and diagenesis of organic matter or may be epigenetic. Noble metals are supplied to sedimentary basins as minerals that are transported by water and air and as ion species migrating along with surface and subsurface in-and exfiltration solutions of various chemical and genetic types. Ore mineralization concentrates in coal seams and host sedimentary beds of various grain size, including conglomerate, sand, and clay, as well as in zones of hydrothermal alteration superimposed on basement rocks and the sedimentary cover. The mode of occurrence of noble metals in coal basins is diverse as well (noble metal minerals, isomorphic admixtures in sulfides, and organic compounds). The data presented allow coal-bearing basins to be regarded as promising for economic noble metal mineralization fit for recovery as by-products in the course of coal mining.